Attachment for sewing machines



Dec. 1, 1936.

c. SEAMAN ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 19, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 1 v 'lNVENToR v (bar/es Seaman. T 94% v I ATTORN Dec. 1,1936. Q SEAMAN 2,062,429

ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Y (fie/A35 Sea/710m Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATESATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Charles Seaman, Hollis, N. Y.

Application September 19, 1933, Serial No. 690,037

14 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines and one of the objects of theinvention is to provide new and improved mechanism for forming asimulation of piping upon an edge of fabric and at the same time givingthe appearance to the fabric that its edge has been piped by hand.

Hitherto similar objects have been attained by applying and stitching arelatively narrow strip of suitable textile material to the raw edge ofthe fabric, but the mechanisms employed for this purpose have given thebound or piped edge of the fabric a machine formed appearance. In myimproved device, however, while the piped or rolled edge is whollymachine formed from the material itself, the fabric has the appearanceof having been processed by hand, and that a separate strip of materialhas been applied to the raw edge of the fabric.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the abovecharacter wherein the stitches upon one side-of the fabric aresubstantially invisible.

A still further object of my invention is 13011107 vide stitchingmechanism of the above type wherein the puffed effect, desirable inpiping, is given to integrally formed piping upon an edge of fabricwithout the use of a separate filler.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplifled in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, andwherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of. a sewingmachine upon which my improved attachment is mounted;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1taken at right angles thereto;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows:

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through my improved devicein the vicinity of the point of stitching;

Figure 6 is a perspective View upon an enlarged scale showing a piece offabric the edge of which has been piped by my improved device, thelayers of the fabric having been separated better to illustrate themanner in which the thread is looped through the piped edge of thefabric;

lll? 7 L? '9? YEW i P p tive, up an larged scale, showing the. manner inwhich the edge of the fabric is folded and also the manner I, in whichthe needle passes through same to stitch the folded edge of the fabricto the body thereof;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but show ing the needle passingthrough the folded edge of the fabric in a different position from thatillustrated in Figure 7 Q Figure 9 is a view in perspective,similar-to'Figure 6; the layers of the folds of the fabric beingseparated better to illustrate the manner in which the thread is loopedthrough the piped edge when the needle passes through the same, asillustrated in Figure 8-; s

Figure 10 is a view in perspective upon an en'- larged scale showing asection of fabric which has been piped or rolled by my improved devicelReferring now more specifically to" the drawings, the reference numeralI denotes the table of a sewing machine of the conventional form and:

The head carri'es the usual presser foot bar 3f and the reciprocatingneedle bar 4; The presser foot bar is spring held in its lowermostposition, yielding in an upward direction under the thrust of the workfeeding mechanism,asusual.

The reference numeral 5 denotesfa bracket fas" tened as by means of thecl'amp'screw 6 to the lower end of the'presser foot bar 3. An arm I ofthis bracket at its lower end is provided with the presserfoot shoe 8.The presser foot 9, formed of 1 spring metal is carried upon anintegrally formed upstanding arm I0 a'd'justably mounted upon a studscrew l'l threaded into this presser foot supporting arm T. Stud screw His provided with an integrally formed collar l2which engages with acollar l3 mounted upon the stud screw l I and in present instance madefast to the arm l0. Interposed between the supporting arm IU of thepresser foot andarm 1-is the extensile spring M, the latter encirclingthe stud screw II.

By means of this construction it will be noted that the presser foot 9'maybe adjusted to or' from the path of the reciprocating needle, springI4 normally holding the presser foot in its adjusted positions. p

The reference numeral l5 denotes a plate made fast to the table I of thesewing machine and upon this plate is mounted my improved attachmentwhich I shall now proceed to describe. r

The reference numeral l6 denotes a block mounted upon or formedintegrally upon the. plate l5; Positioned upon the block 16 behind the]shoulder'll thereof'isa bracket 18 which bracket has secured thereto thefabric edge rolling orforming guide ofmy'improved device. 4

Also supported upon the block I6 is a metallic strap 19 which strap ispivotally mounted upon the block by means of-the pivot screw l9". Strapl9 lies in a recess formed in the block l6, slight clearances indicatedat 26 and 2| being provided between the edges of the strap and the wallswhich form the recess. These clearances 2| and 20 provide for a slightpivotal movement of strap I9 upon its point of pivotal support l9Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings the reference numeral 22 denotes apin having an eccentric portion 23. The pin 22 is so mounted as to haveits upper end secured td the lever '25 and its I eccentric portionfreely journalled m the strap 19. By means of this construction'it'"will be noted that a slight swinging movement can be imparted to thestrap H! by manipulation of ,the lever 25. The purpose of thisadjustment will be made apparent hereinafter.

Strap l9 at its forward end has attached thereto the leaf spring 26 andmounted as at 21 upon the outer end of the leaf spring 26 is a shoe 3!].This shoe 30 and its mounting upon the leaf spring 26 is best shown inFigures 2 and 5 of the drawings, the working edge or. nose of the shoebeing preferably rounded, as shown.

It will be noted that by reason of the slight adjustment given to strapl9 by means of the eccentric leverconstruction described, a swingingmovement of lever will cause the shoe to be moved toward or from thepath of the. needle.

In the present instance the needle is indicated by the reference.numeral 3| and it will be seen that the reciprocatory path of theneedle is substantially tangent to the outer rounded edge or nose 32 ofthe shoe 3U.

Fastened to the upper surface of the leaf spring 26 at its outer end isa yoke 33 which yoke receives the end of a Z shaped bar 34, which bar isattached to the presser foot bracket 5 as by means of the set screw 35.The function of the bar 34 is to lift the attachment from the work whenthe presser footv bar 3 is raised by the usual lifting lever 36 uponthehead of the machine.

' in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

This operation relieves the pressure upon the work so that the lattermay be readily removed from the machine after the stitching thereon hasbeen completed. Bar 34 has also a further function which will bedescribed hereinafter.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawings thereference numeral 3'! denotes generally the means for folding orrolling'the edge of the fabric and guiding it to the stitching means.This guide comprises a sheet of metal mounted upon the bracket l8. Inthepresent instance the guide member is shown as soldered or otherwise madefast as at 38 to a leaf spring 39 clamped to the bracket [8 as by meansof the clamp screw 39'; Clamp screw 39 also fastens to the bracket IS ametallic strip 40 which extends underneath the guide member 31 andprovides a firm support therefor, but permits the guide member to moveupwardly under the yielding of its spring support. In this connection itwill be noted that the forward, lower end. of the guide rests upon theshoe 30 so that when that member is moved upwardly by the bar 34 theguide will be correspondingly moved upwardly.

The guide member 31 is substantially funnelshaped, as shown andlocatedwithin the guide is a core pin 4|, said core pin being carriedupon a bracket wire 42 so that it projects inwardly within thefunnel-shaped guide member as best shown. Core pin 4| is spaced from thewalls ofthe guide member as shown.

The cooperative action between the funnelshaped guide and the core pin41,, in the present instance, is such that when an edge of the fabric isfed into the guide said edge is first folded or rolled upon itself toform the flap or layer 43 which is turned under as clearly shown inFigures 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings.

The fold of this flap or layer is indicated at 44. Behind this fold thefabric is again folded upon ..itself as at in its passage through theguide so that when the edge of the fabric passes out of thefunnel-shaped guide the outer edge thereof takes on the form illustratedin Figures 6 to 9, inclusive of the drawings.

.While I have shown the edge of the fabric to be folded or rolled twiceupon itself as by means of the folds 44 and 45 it will be understoodthat the guiding means can be varied so that further folding operationscan be accomplished as the edge of the material to be piped is passedtherethrough, and it will be further understood that in this art themanner in which the folding of an edge of fabric or the folding of astrip of fabric in a guide of this character is largely dependent uponthe width of the material that is fed through the guide. The materialwill accommodate itself to the form of the guide and be folded therebyin such a way that the folded portion will be discharged through theapex orifice of the funnelshaped guide, the number of folds or layersdepending upon the size of the discharging orifice cf the guide withrelation to the width and thick?- nessof the material fed thereinto.

The discharge end of the guide 31, as has been noted, is locateddirectly above the nose or curved edge of the foot 36, and rests uponthe latter, the inner end-of the guide being cut away as indicatedinFigure 5 to permit the passage of the needle.

. The nose or curved edge of the shoe 30 is also located closelyadjacent the working edge of the foot piece 9 leaving a space betweenthese parts which forms the passageway for the reciprocating needle andfor the work to pass through.

Referring now to the path of travel of the material being operated uponthrough the machine the edge to be piped or rolled is fed into the mouthof the funnel-shaped guide member 3'! from the front of the machine andpasses through said guide member in a direction opposite to the positionoccupied by the operator. After the edge of the work has passed thestitching point and has been stitched it is then guided and fedrearwardly in a direction substantially opposite to the direction inwhich it is fed into the guiding meansthat is to say the folded orroll-ed edge of the work is bent or folded transversely about the shoe35, returning after being stitched toward the position occupied by theoperator, the stitching on the edge is accomplished at the point wherethe edge passes over the nose or curved forward edge of the shoe 30.

In order to accomplish this end I have reversed the usual operation ofthe feeding means of a sewing machine. By reference to Figures 2 and 5of the drawings it will be seen that the teeth of the rack 45 are soformed as to grasp the piped edge of the material after the stitchingoperation has been accomplished and forces it rearwardly toward theoperator as each stitching operation is accomplished.

The feed rack 45, in the present instance, is mounted upon the feed rackoperating lever 41, the latter being journalled at one end as at 48 uponan arm 49 mounted upon the rock shaft 50 which shaft is rocked in theusual manner in consonance with the operation of the needle bar.

The opposite end of: thesrack. operatingrlever' l'l is forked as at 5|to receive. the pin carried by the arm 52, mounted upon a rock shaft 53which is also operated in consonance with the operation 2 of the needlebar by the usual mechanism not shown herein. In order to accomplish thisend.

the usual connection between the crank lever 54 operated by the sewingmachine drive mechanism is reversed so that the feed rack is given anoscillatory movement in a manner reversed from that usually given suchdevicein a sewing machine whereby the line of travel of the finishedmaterial is in a direction toward the operator.

The needle it will be noted is slightlyhooked in the direction of therounded edge of the shoe 30, the relation of the parts being such thatthe point of the needle impinges slightly upon the rounded edge or noseof theshoe, the needle yielding slightly as its point impinges upon saidshoe and passes thereover.

Referring now to the manner in which the stitching is accomplished onthe folded or rolled edge of a strip of fabric the latter reaches thepoint of stitching, as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. Thedevice is so mounted upon the machine with reference to the line oftravel of the needle that the latter enters and leaves the fabric so asto take a small bite upon the inner surface of that portion lying inengagement with the nose of the shoe. Due to the fact that the folded orrolled edge, is bent transversely about the nose of the shoe, the needlein making this bite passes through the fabric twice, that is it entersand leaves the fabric slightly above the ;outermost portion of thetransverse bend and enters and leaves the fabric slightly below saidbend. The impinging of the needle point upon the nose of the shoesinsures that the thread will be carried entirely through the fabricbody.

Referring to Figure '7 of the drawings it Will be noted that aftermaking. this slight bite entirely through the fabric it then picks upthe fold 44 which has been fed to a position past the outermost part,nose or curved edge of the foot 30. I have denoted by the referencenumeral 55 the location of the transverse bend in the fabric wherein theneedle makes the small bite heretofore described, the thread beingmerely carried through the fabric to the longitudinal extent necessarysecurely to bind the body of the fabric to the folded or rolled edgethereof. The stitching, therefore, is substantially invisible on theside of the fabric opposite the rolled edge thereof.

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings in forming the stitch one loop ofthe needle thread is partly concealed beneath the edge 44 of the foldwhile the other loop of the stitch, caught by the bobbin thread, isexposed on the face of the rolled or folded edge; The relation betweenthe needle thread and the bobbin thread in accomplishing the stitchingis indicated in Figure 6 by the stippled appearance of the latter.

In Figure 8 I have shown the needle as entering the edge of the fold atthe bend of the fabric edge prior to its passage through the fabricproper. If the guiding attachment is properly adjusted with reference tothe travel of the needle, the relation of the loops of the needle threadand the bobbin thread will be as indicated in Figure 9 of the drawings.

Whether or not the needle passes through the fabric proper'before itpasses through the rolled edge beneath. the bend 55, it is intended thatthe needle shall barely pass through the material proper so that a verysmall portion of they needle thread will be visible on the face orthe-fabric when a line of stitching has been accomplished.

Whenthe needle passes through the rolled or folded edge-of the material,as shown in Figure 8 it will be noted that the rolled edge is. firstpicked up by the needle before passing through the portion 55. It thenpasses through the lower portion of the rolled or folded edge and thestitching appears as shown in Figure 9, wherein the needle thread isexposed in two places upon the rolled edge surface. When the needlepoint enters the fabric proper before it picks up the rolled edge, asillustrated in Figure 7, the outer line of needle thread stitchingvisible in Figure 8 is partially concealed, beneath the outer edge ofthe fold, as shown in Figure 6, as already described.

Referring again to the oscillatory movement of the feed rack 46 it willbe noted that in each upwardand rearward thrust thereof the presser shoeis lifted slightly and that this operation through the bar 34 slightlyraises the shoe 30 whereby the pressure upon the finished work isrelieved and its rearward travel, under compulsion of the feed rack, isfacilitated.

It will also be noted that a narrow passageway is provided between theouter end of the presser foot 9 and the rounded edge or nose of the shoe30. Thus the presser foot shoe 9 assists in holding the work so that theneedle will perform its function as above described. The eccentricoperated by the lever 25 provides a means whereby the rounded edge ornose of the shoe 30 with respect to the needle path may be adjusted to anicety. It also provides a means whereby the length of the bite made bythe needle through the fabric, as described, may be varied.

It may be observed that therounded edge of the shoe 30 in effectconstitutes a platen upon which the work is supported while the needlepoint performs its functions upon that part of the folded or rolled edgelocated at the transverse bend of the roll or fold.

The needle moves in a path. located tangential- 1y" of the working faceof the platen in making its bite into and: through the, fabric, theneedle lightly impinging upon and glancing from the curved working faceof the platen at each actuation'. It will be noted also that the presserfoot is spring supported and cantherefore yield slightly under theimpinging engagement of the needle. Provision is therefore made forsuchyielding engagement between the needle point and the working face ofthe shoe or platen that the needle will make acomplete passage throughthe fabric at each actuation. The eccentric mechanism described providesfor a most delicate adjustment.

In Figure 10 of the drawings I have shown a strip of finished fabric 56having. the finished piped or rolled edge 51. The bites of the needlethreadare indicated at 58 and the bobbin thread exposed upon the face ofthe outer of the piped finished fabric opposite the folded or rolledportion thereof. In this last mentioned operation the shape of theneedle point would be changed slightly from that shown in the drawings,so that the splitting of the fabric layer lying upon the platen could beaccomplished. The needle would make its bite within the layer of fabriclying upon the platen and would not directly impinge upon the latter.

Having thus described my invention the operation of the selectedembodiment of the mechanism implied to carry it out has been made plainduring the description of the construction of said mechanism.

It is evident that the great labor and expense involved in hand pipingor hand rolling of a strip of fabric is eliminated by machine operationand at the same time the finished fabric has the appearance of havingbeen processed by hand.

While in the finished or piped rolled edge of the fabric or garment thepuffed effect is produced by asingle layer thereof, encased within thefold or roll, it is evident that a greater number of layers than onecould be encased within 'the stitched fold or roll by slightly varyingthe dimensions of the guiding mechanism, or by feeding therein a greaterwidth of the fabric, the edge of which is to be processed, or that aseparate filler could be fed through suitable guiding means and led inthe position to be encased in the roll or fold so as to give a greaterpuffed effect, if desired.

Thus by the above described construction, are accomplished among others,the objects herein-- before referred to.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of theinvention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a spring supported platen shoe having a roundededge against which the needle impinges, a guide for folding or rollingan edge of fabric so that the free edge thereof is encased within thefold or roll, means for drawing said folded or rolled edge of the fabricand the fabric itself through said guide and for bending said fold orroll transversely of its length and the fabric itself about the curvededge of said platen shoe, and for holding the work in position upon saidplaten shoe so that the needle when descending will pierce the fabric atthe bend and then pick up an edge of said fold or roll whereby to stitchthe fold or roll to the body of the fabric, said last named means beingadapted to move the fabric and the stitched edge thereof rearwardly in adirection opposite to which it has ben moved to said platen through saidguide.

2. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including aneedle, of a platen shoe having a rounded edge against which the needleimpinges when descending through the work, a guide located upon theplaten shoe adapted to produce one or more folds in the edge of a stripof fabric and for discharging said folded edge upon the rounded edge ofsaid platen shoe, means for bending said folded edge and the fabricproper in a direction transverse to the length of said fold about therounded edge of said platen shoe and for holding said folded edge andthe fabric itself in such a position upon said platen shoe that theneedle when descending will bite said fabric at the bend thereof andthen pick up an edge of said fold whereby the fold will be stitched tothe body of the fabric, said means being adapted to move the said fabricunder the platen shoe in a direction substantially opposite to which ithas been delivered by said guide to said platen shoe.

3. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a platen shoe having an edge against which theneedle in its descent is adapted to impinge, of afabric guide locatedupon the platen shoe, a feeding device located beneath said platen shoe,said guide being adapted to fold an edge of fabric so as to provide anouter layer, an inner layer and at least one intermediate layer and toguide said fabric so folded and the fabric itself to the edge of saidplaten shoe, said guide and said feeding device being adapted to bendsaid folded edge of the fabric and the fabric itself about the edge ofsaid platen shoe in such a position that the needle when descending willpiece the bend of the fabric independently of the edge of the fold andwill also pierce the edge of the fold whereby the fold is so stitched tothe body of the fabric that one or more of said intermediate layers willbeencased within the fold, and said feeding means being adapted to feedthe fabric and the stitched fold thereof underneath the platen shoe in adirection opposite to which it has been delivered to the edge of theplaten shoe by said guide.

4. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, a spring-supported guide member having a centrallylocated core adapted to produce folds in a strip of material to produceouter layers and one or more intermediate layers, a spring-supportedplaten shoe having its working edge located directly below thedischarging end of the guiding means, and also having its working edgelocated within the path of travel of the reciprocating needle, and anoscillatory feeding device located underneath the platen shoe, adaptedto seize the work and move the same rearwardly in a direction oppositeto that in which it has been fed to the working edge of the platen shoeby said guiding means.

5. In a sewing machine in combination with stitching means, including areciprocating needle, of a presser foot, a spring carried platen shoeadapted to support the work, said presser foot and said platen shoebeing spaced apart so that the work can pass therebetween, said spacealso providing a passageway for the needle, and means for connecting thepresser foot with the platen shoe so that when the former is raised thelatter will also be raised from the work.

6. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, a presser foot spring pressed in a downwarddirection, a platen shoe, a spring carried presser shoe having itsforward edge adapted to support the work, said presser foot and saidplaten shoe being spaced apart so that'the work can pass therebetween,the space between said elements also forming a passageway for thereciprocating needle, a bar connecting the presser foot with the platenshoe so that when the former is lifted the platen shoe will be liftedfrom the work, and means for raising the presser foot.

'7. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a presser foot spring pressed in a downwarddirection, a spring-supported platen shoe adapted to rest upon the work,a spring-supported fabric guide resting upon the platen shoe, saidpresser foot being spaced from said platen shoe and said guide so as toform a passageway for the work, and also for said reciprocating needle,a bar connecting the presser foot with the platen shoe so that when theformer is raised said platen shoe and said guide will be also raised,and means for raising the presser foot.

8. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means, including areciprocating needle, of a presser foot spring-pressed in a downwarddirection, a spring supported shoe mounted upon the presser foot, aspring-supported platen shoe mounted in a position opposite the saidpresser foot shoe, said last named elements being spaced apart toprovide a passageway for the work, and also for said needle, and meanswhereby said presser foot shoe and said platen shoe may be adjusted withrespect to each other to vary the width of said passageway.

9. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means, including areciprocating needle, of a pressure foot shoe spring-pressed in adownward direction, a spring supported platen shoe mounted in a positionopposite the said presser foot shoe, said last named elements beingspaced apart to provide a passageway for the work, and also for saidneedle, means whereby said presser foot shoe and said platen shoe may beadjusted with respect to each other to vary the width of saidpassageway, a connection between said presser foot and said platen shoewhereby they may be raised in unison, and means for raising the presserfoot.

10. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means, includinga reciprocating needle, of a presser foot shoe spring-pressed in adownward direction, a spring supported platen shoe mounted in a positionopposite the said presser foot shoe, said last named elements beingspaced apart to provide a passageway for the work, and also for saidneedle, means whereby said presser foot shoe and said platen shoe may beadjusted with respect to each other to vary the width of saidpassageway, a connection between said presser foot and said platen shoewhereby they may be raised in unison, means for raising the presserfoot, an oscillatory feed rack bar located beneath the presser foot andthe platen shoe adapted to raise both of said parts during itsoscillatory movements in feeding the work.

11. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of an adjustable support for the work locatedadjacent the stitching point, means for guiding the work to said supportin a position to be stitched thereon, means for drawing the work throughsaid guide and over said support in one direction and for returning thefinished work in a direction opposite to that in which it is drawn tosaid support, a presser shoe having a springsupported work engagingmember, spaced from the work support to provide a passageway for thework therebetween, and oscillatory feeding means located beneath thepresser foot shoe and said work support adapted to raise both saidpresser foot and said work support upon each of its oscillatorymovements.

12. In a sewing machine, in combination wit stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a spring-pressed presser foot having aspringsupported work engaging member, a spring-supported platen shoehaving a work supporting edge, said work engaging part of the presserfoot and said work supporting edge of said platen shoe being spacedapart to provide a passageway for the work therebetween, and also forsaid reciprocating needle, said presser foot and said platen shoe beingrelatively adjustable to vary the width of the passageway therebetween,and an oscillatory feed rack bar located underneath the presser foot andthe platen shoe adapted to feed the work under said platen shoe ina'direction away from the presser foot.

13. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a spring-pressed presser foot having aspring-supported work engaging member, a spring-supported platen shoehaving a work supporting edge, said work engaging part of the presserfoot and said work supporting edge of said platen shoe being spacedapart to provide a passageway for the work there-between, and also forsaid reciprocating needle, said presser foot and said platen shoe beingrelatively adjustable to vary the width of the passageway there-between,an oscillatory feed rack bar located underneath the presser foot and theplaten shoe adapted to feed the work under said platen shoe in adirection away from the presser foot, means for connecting the presserfoot and the platen shoe whereby when the former is raised the latterwill be lifted from the work, and means for raising the presser foot.

14. In a sewing machine, in combination with stitching means including areciprocating needle, of a spring-pressed presser foot having aspringsupported work engaging member, a spring-supported platen shoehaving a work supporting edge, said work engaging part of the presserfoot and said work supporting edge of said platen shoe being spacedapart to provide a passageway for the work therebetween, and also forsaid reciprocating needle, said presser foot and said platen shoe beingrelatively adjustable to vary the width of the passageway therebetween,an oscillatory feed rack bar located underneath the presser foot and theplaten shoe adapted to feed the work under said platen shoe in adirection away from the presser foot, means for connecting the presserfoot and the platen shoe whereby when the former is raised the latterwill be lifted from the work, means for raising the presser foot, aguide located upon the platen shoe adapted to fold the edge of a stripof fabric and deliver the same to the working face of the platen shoeand into said passageway, so that stitching can be effected by saidneedle to fasten the folded portion of the edge of the fabric to thebody of the fabric, and an oscillatory feed rack bar located beneathboth the presser foot and the platen shoe adapted to engage the finishedwork and to move the same rearwardly beneath said platen shoe.

CHARLES SEAMAN.

